Giant Leap’s Impact Highlights for FY23
Small Steps Vol. 88: Quantifying our impact on people and planet ⚖️; goodbye to Victoria’s EV tax 🔋; and yes, the patriarchy really is making you sick 🤒.
Kick start
🙌 Our Impact Highlights for FY23 are now in, and it would be a wild understatement to say that we’re proud of the huge impact our incredible portfolio founders have created.
Together, our diverse community of visionary founders avoided or abated over 60,000 tonnes of CO2-e emissions 🌏, delivered measurable health improvements to 30,000 individuals ❤️🩹, and improved workplace policies for more than 245,000 employees 👷🏽♀️.
Check out the full report here:
What we’re thinking about
🖤 Acknowledging the referendum result. Following the end of the week of silence, we are deeply saddened by the outcome of the Referendum on the Voice to Parliament and our hearts are with the First Nations communities who are deeply and personally impacted by the result. We reaffirm our commitment to supporting genuine self-determination and truth-telling for First Nations peoples — always was, always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land. If you are experiencing increased distress during this time, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation has shared information on helpful mental health services here.
🚗 See-ya later to Victoria’s EV tax. In a landmark decision, the Australian High Court has declared Victoria’s electric vehicle tax unconstitutional, causing concern among states and territories with similar plans. The tax, which charged electric and hydrogen owners based on the distance they travelled, aimed to recoup lost revenue from EV drivers exempt from taxes usually paid on petrol. It was held to be unconstitutional as only the federal government, and not the states, has the power to impose excise duties. This has removed a barrier to EV uptake and therefore is being considered a climate win (for now), but it still signals the need for urgent national action to work out consistent EV policy and help Australia catch up with the rest of the world. Our fingers are crossed.
🤒 The patriarchy really is making you sick. Research has revealed that the very virtues our culture typically rewards in women, such as agreeability, extreme selflessness, and suppression of anger, may actually predispose us to mental and physical illnesses. Women account for 80% of almost all autoimmune related diseases, including chronic pain, insomnia, and migraines. Most are triggered by stress on the body, leading Psychologist Maytal Eyal to question whether retraining the brain — and society — to accept mediocrity is the answer.
New paths
🧠 Seer is searching for a Business Analyst (Melbourne).
🐛 Goterra is on the lookout for a Product Process Operator (Sydney).
🔋 Amber is hiring a Human Resources Manager (Melbourne).
🔥 Also, check out our Giant Leap Fund jobs board for over 45+ available positions or fill out our expression of interest form. There’s even more jobs at ethical companies on the global B-Work job board.
Giant leaps
♻️ Great Wrap scored a feature in Naturally Good News about their biodegradable plastic wrap.
🚮 Goterra’s Olympia Yarger featured on the ABC discussing why compostable food packaging is still ending up in landfill.
For the road
▶️ Press Play. We're excited to be partnering with Press Play Ventures in their mission to transform the status quo for women in startups in Victoria. Dive into their 12-week entrepreneurship programme designed for women, at no cost and with no need to leave your current job. Turn your idea into reality with minimal weekly commitment and expert guidance, plus get access to a $50,000 fund for your first funding round! Sign up now!
👩⚕️ Raise the alarm on mental health. The ABS’ latest national study on mental health is in, and the figures are bleak. Cases of mental health concerns among young people almost doubled since the last study in 2007 – up from 26% to nearly 40% – with more cases in every category aside from substance abuse affecting women.
🗺️ The Plastic Health Map. Many chemicals and substances in our everyday plastics have escaped regulations and research, and may be harming us in unforeseen ways. Minderoo has pulled together the data on the countries impacted, with the US being the country most affected.
🤯 ‘How not to lose your shit’. Sendle co-founder Craig Davis says developing healthy habits is the key to working harder and developing a greater capacity for work. His take is that founders should avoid crunch where possible and consider that running a business is a marathon rather than a sprint.
💸 Inside Euphemia’s explosive first year. In its first year, Up founder Dom Pym’s family office Euphemia backed over 35 companies and 20 funds – many of them impact businesses. CEO Judy Anderson-Firth discusses what the firm looks for in startups, and the background behind this new force in the startup landscape in this episode of the Fear & Greed podcast.
🔌 How dirty is your electricity? Danish startup Electricity Maps has created a global database measuring the environmental impact of each region of the world’s power generation. Fun fact: King Island in the Bass Strait currently rates as the cleanest region for electricity generation in the world.
🤖 Plans for London’s new robot pharmacy. Heard of Japan’s robot restaurant? Well, a startup in the UK, Pharmacierge, has announced plans to build an automated pharmacy in the heart of London. The goal is to save pharmacists time searching for drugs, expanding on the mission of its e-prescription technology.
⚡ Transmission problems. The world needs to add or replace 50 million miles of transmission lines by 2040 in order for countries’ to meet their climate targets, according to the IEA. This would involve doubling the current global investment into grid upgrades.
Save the date
📅 27 October: Join Greenfluence as it celebrates two years of building a vibrant community of like-minded eco-influencers. The night will also feature pitches from promising eco-tech companies. It’s being held at San Telmo Studio in Sydney. Tickets here.
📅 31 October: Got a burning question for our partner Rachel Yang? Join her at The StartUp Networks’ latest Ask Me Anything session, held via Google Meets. Register here.
📅 8 November: Purpose, a two day conference celebrating purpose-led business is back. It’s being held at the Carriageworks in Sydney. Sign up here and use the code “giantleap” for discounted tickets!
📅 15 November: Are you ready for takeoff…? ANDHealth’s Digital Health Summit is heading to Melbourne on November 15, with special guests Dr Kate Merton and Dr Ken Bahk and a focus on international market expansion! Learn more here.
📅 23 November: One Roof’s ultimate anti-pitch is back. Apply now for your chance to pitch for prizes valued up to $50,000. The event will be held in Sydney. Applications close Sunday November 12.
📅 November 28: Climate Salad’s Australian Climate Tech Festival & Awards 2023, Sydney. Gear up for a full day of interactive demos, engaging content, inspiring pitches, networking and awards on climate tech at the Sydney Town Hall. Tickets here, Climate Salad members receive a discount.
📅 December 4: Applications close for the Go-Green Co-Innovation Program’s first round of Grants. The program is a joint-initiative between Australia and Singapore, offering grants up to $500,000. More details here
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